CARgo: Size really does matter

Originally published: April 11, 2013

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

1. Pyle betting that size matters: It’s not difficult to imagine how Pyle Audio came to develop and release its PLD10BT 10.1-inch motorized LCD touchscreen in-dash multimedia player. Likely, a young Gomer-like research and development scientist at the illustrious car stereo firm received a 10-inch tablet as a holiday present and, eureka, it dawned on him: “What if we mount a 10-inch tablet onto a single-DIN car stereo unit and create the biggest motorized touchscreen car stereo on the market? How cool would that be?” And indeed, it is cool, as the PLD10BT features a motorized display that’s detachable and it had better be, because the screen is wider than the stereo, so only via detaching the screen could the motorized backing slide into place. It has Bluetooth capability, 1024 x 600 resolution, four speaker outputs at 80 watts per channel and both SD and MMC card capability. Pyle thoughtfully includes a carrying case for the detachable panel, which is pretty essential because we suspect that users are going to be lugging around the screen quite a bit. $635; visit pyleaudio.com.

2. Did they cast it as a gasket? The Gasket V8 iPhone 5 case is manufactured by id America and was purportedly designed to resemble an automobile’s V8 gasket, thus making it an accessory perfectly suited for car buffs. While the Gasket V8 does indeed resemble a gasket, the gasket itself is an obscure enough car part that we can’t help but wonder whether the product was designed to look like a gasket or whether the gasket designation was imposed after the fact to add a conventional selling pitch to an unconventional mobile phone case design. It’s made from brushed aluminum with inner suede lining that shields the phone while providing access to buttons and the camera, and it arrives with a front and back protective film and an installation squeegee alongside a microfibre cleaning cloth. The Gasket V8 is the first car-related phone case to appear in this spot and while we do question how bang-on car-related this product really is, it fits in nicely alongside the car-part-inspired watches that we periodically feature that really only resemble car instrumentation if you squint hard enough. $30; visit idamericany.com.